lyo 



NA TURE 



[December 13, 1900 



a new entozoic Copepod {Goidelia echtura) found together with 

 an Infusorian (Trichodina) in the rectum of a new Japanese 

 marine Worm {Echiurus unicindus) recently described by her 

 in the Society's Transactions. This Copepod is eyeless, and a 

 description was given of its appendages in both the adult and 

 metamorphic stages, from careful dissections under the micro- 

 scope made in one of the laboratories of the Royal College of 

 Science. 



Geological Society, November 21. — J. J. H. Teall, 

 F.R.S., President, in the chair. — A Monchiquite from Mount 

 Girnar, Junagarh (Kathiawar), by Dr. J. W. Evans. After a 

 brief account of the rocks of the monchiquite-type, in which 

 ferromagnesian silicates are embedded in an isotropic matrix 

 with the chemical constitution of analcime, the author describes 

 an example from Mount Girnar, where it is associated with a 

 nepheline-syenite intrusive in a mica-augite-diorite. The most 

 striking feature of this rock is the occurrence of colourless 

 spheres of various sizes up to about i mm. in diameter. The 

 rest of the rock is mainly composed of a hornblende of the 

 barkevikite-type ; a pale green augite is also present. — The 

 geology of Mynydd-y-Garn (Anglesey), by Charles A. Matley. 

 Mynydd-y-Garn, a hill of less than 600 feet elevation, stands 

 above the village of Llanfair-y'nghornwy in north-west Anglesey. 

 The mass of the hill is an inlier of sericitic and chloritic phyllites 

 (Gam Phyllites), surmounted by a massive conglomerate (Gam 

 Conglomerate), and surrounded by black slates and shales of 

 apparently Upper Llandeilo age. The general dip of all the 

 rocks is northerly and north-easterly. The Gam Phyllites are 

 usually green altered shales and fine gritty rocks, and are in- 

 tensely contorted near their southern boundary. Even where 

 not contorted they show under the microscope evidence of 

 powerful earth-movement. They are considered by the author 

 to be part of the " Green Series " of northern Anglesey. They 

 are cut off to the west and south by a curved fault, probably a 

 thrust, which brings them against Llandeilo slates and breccias. 

 The district around Mynydd-y-Garn has been affected since 

 Llandeilo times by two powerful earth-movements, acting one 

 from the north, the other from the north-east. The first- 

 mentioned prevailed in the area west and north-west of the hill, 

 where the pre-Llandeilo rocks are frequently shattered to crush- 

 conglomerates. Around Mynydd-y-Garn itself and east of it 

 the principal direction of movement has been from the north- 

 east ; south of the hill the structure is, perhaps, the result of 

 the interference of these two movements. — On some altered 

 tufaceous rhyolitic rocks from Dufton Pike (Westmorland), by 

 Frank Rutley, with analyses by Philip Holland. The specimens 

 described were collected by the late Prof. Green and Mr. G. J. 

 Goodchild from the Borrowdale volcanic series which constitutes 

 the central mass of Dufton Pike, and the chief interest attaching 

 to them is their alteration, probably as the result of solfataric 

 action. 



Anthropological Institute, November 22. — Mr. W. 

 Gowland, Vice-President, in the chair. — A paper was read by 

 Messrs. Maclver and Wilkin on their Algerian journey. The 

 main object of the journey was to investigate the evidence for 

 the Libyan origin of Prof. Flinders Petrie's " New Race." The 

 districts especially investigated were the Aures mountains, in- 

 habited by the Chawia, and Kabylia ; and a large number of 

 lantern slides were secured which were exhibited in illustration 

 of the paper. The manufacture of pottery was described in 

 detail ; the readers considered that the identity of one entire 

 class of Kabyle ware with that of prehistoric Egypt in respect of 

 colour, technique, and details of ornament, as well as numerous 

 coincidences of form, proved the close culture connection 

 of the ancestors of the Berbers with prehistoric Egypt. Other 

 classes of pottery seemed to have been directly derived from or 

 communicated to Cyprus. Turning to questions of anthropo- 

 graphy, the readers showed that the Berbers are essentially a 

 white race with brown-black hair, brown or hazel eyes and a 

 skin which is really red-white. They are, therefore, the true 

 representatives of the white Libyans of the Egyptian wall- 

 paintings. Blondes occur but seldom ; they form not more than 

 ID per cent. The paper concluded with a summary of the 

 results of an anthropometrical examination of a very large series 

 of prehistoric Egyptian and modern Berber skulls ; the results 

 showed the two races to be quite distinct. The expedition has 

 strengthened the case for culture connection between Libya and 

 Egypt, but disproved the theory of common race. 



NO. 1624, VOL. 63] 



November 27. — Mr. C. A. Read, President, in the chair. — 

 Prof. E. B. Tylor communicated, and commented on, a paper by 

 Mr. Paxton Moir on stone implements in Tasmania. The 

 paper described the sites on which the stones were found and 

 the uses to which the various forms were put. The types included 

 knives and hand axes which were fairly common, and also a 

 certain number of concave " scrapers " and pointed " groovers." 

 There was, however, considerable difference of opinion as to the 

 propriety of using a very definite terminology and attributing to 

 the manufacturers very definite intentions where there was 

 obviously very little command over the materials. Another 

 point which roused some discussion was whether the stones 

 were shaped to fit the hand or selected because they were so 

 shaped, or whether the adaptability of the hand did not account 

 for the readiness with which a " grip " was found. — A large 

 number of Tasmanian implements being on the table, the points 

 raised in the discussion received practical illustrations. There 

 were also exhibited, on behalf of Mr. Alfred Sharpe, C.B. , 

 ILB.M. Commissioner of Nyassaland, a double clapperless bell, 

 a stone implement of uncertain use, and a wooden stool sup- 

 ported on a carved female figure with prominent keloid scars, 

 and native head-dress, from Angoniland. 



Royal Microscopical Society, November 21. — Mr. Wm. 

 Carruthers, F.R.S., President, in the chair. — Mr. Nelson ex- 

 hibited and described an erect image dissecting microscope by 

 Leitz, and sent for exhibition by Mr. C. Baker. The erection 

 of the microscopic image, effected by means of Porro prisms, was 

 first described by Ahrens in \h.t Journal oi the Society in 1888. 

 The instrument was valuable as a dissecting microscope ; it was 

 provided with handrests and three objectives, having a very long 

 working distance. — Mr. Disney exhibited a diffraction plate 

 having the lines ruled in concentric circles, by which the diffrac- 

 tion bands were separated with great clearness. The rulings 

 were about 7000 to the inch. He also exhibited a steel brooch 

 the surface of which had been ruled in the same way. — Mr. 

 C. F. Rousselet exhibited an electric lamp for use with the 

 microscope. — The president called attention to the exhibition 

 that evening of a number of slides from the Society's cabinet, 

 prepared by the late Dr. Carpenter in connection with his 

 investigations into the shells of the mollusca. Mr. B. B. 

 Woodward also exhibited some preparations. — Prof. Chas. 

 Stewart referred to the views held upon shell structure at the 

 present day, and, taking the common pinna shell as an example, 

 demonstrated how its structure was built up. Besides studying 

 the sections usually made, he recommended that shells should be 

 broken and the fractured surfaces examined, if a correct idea of 

 the formation of the shells was to be obtained. 



Zoological Society, December 4. — Dr. Henry Woodward, 

 F.R.S., Vice-President, in the chair. — The Secretary read an 

 extract from a letter which had been addressed to the Colonial 

 Office by the West India Committee, concerning the proposed 

 introduction of the English starling or the Indian mynah into 

 St. Kitts, West Indies, to check the increase of grasshoppers, 

 which were causing great damage to the growing crops in that 

 island. — Mr. R. Lydekker exhibited, on behalf of Mr. Rowland 

 Ward, and made remarks upon the mounted skin of a female 

 musk-ox which had been obtained from East Greenland. — Dr. 

 C. I. Forsyth Major exhibited and made remarks on some 

 remains of Cyan from Sardinia, and of a monkey {Macaacs, sp. 

 inc.) from Mauritius. — Mr. A. H. Cocks made some remarks 

 on the period of gestation of the pine-marten {Mustela maries), 

 which he had ascertained could not be less than ninety-four days 

 and might possibly be as much as 106 days. — Mr. J. S. 

 Budgett read a paper on the breeding-habits of Protopterus, 

 Gymnarchus, and some other West African fishes, in which an 

 account was given of a collecting trip made during last summer 

 to the swamps of the Gambia River in search of the eggs of 

 Polypterus. The eggs of Polypterus were not discovered, 

 though a very young specimen, measuring only one inch and a 

 quarter in length, was found. In this small specimen the 

 dermal bones were not developed, and the external gills were of 

 very great size, the base of the shaft being situated immediately 

 behind the spiracle. The dorsal finlets formed a continuous 

 dorsal fin. While Mr. -Budgett was in search of the eggs of 

 Polypterus, the underground nests of Protopterus annectens were 

 found in abundance, and complete series of eggs and larvae were 

 preserved. The male Protopterus was found to live in the nest 

 until the larvae were fit to leave it. Nests were also found of 

 the curious fish Gymnarchus niloticus. These were made in 



